Positive electrode active materials, positive electrodes, and rechargeable lithium batteries

Abstract

A positive electrode active material includes a first positive electrode active material including a layered lithium nickel-manganese-based composite oxide, the first positive electrode active material being in a form of single particles. The positive electrode active material also includes a second positive electrode active material including a lithium-manganese-rich composite oxide in which a molar ratio of lithium to a total metal content of the lithium-manganese-rich composite excluding lithium is about 1.1 to about 3 and a manganese content based on 100 mol % of the total metal content of the lithium-manganese-rich composite excluding lithium is greater than or equal to about 60 mol %, and the second positive electrode active material being in a form of single particles. The positive electrode active material according to some embodiments maximizes capacity while minimizing production cost, ensures long cycle-life, and improves high-voltage characteristics and high-temperature storage characteristics. A rechargeable lithium battery using the positive electrode active material can exhibit high initial charge and discharge capacity and efficiency even under high-voltage operating conditions and can realize high energy density and long cycle-life characteristics due to high pellet density.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A positive electrode active material comprising
 a first positive electrode active material including a layered lithium nickel-manganese-based composite oxide, the first positive electrode active material being in a form of single particles; and   a second positive electrode active material including a lithium-manganese-rich composite oxide in which a molar ratio of lithium to a total metal content of the lithium-manganese-rich composite oxide excluding lithium is about 1.1 to about 3 and a manganese content based on 100 mol % of the total metal content of the lithium-manganese-rich composite oxide excluding lithium is greater than or equal to about 60 mol %, the second positive electrode active material being in a form of single particles.   
     
     
         2 . The positive electrode active material as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein, based on a total of 100 wt % of the first positive electrode active material and the second positive electrode active material, the first positive electrode active material is included in an amount of about 30 wt % to about 95 wt % and the second positive electrode active material is included in an amount of about 5 wt % to about 70 wt %. 
     
     
         3 . The positive electrode active material as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the layered lithium nickel-manganese-based composite oxide has a nickel content of about 60 mol % to about 80 mol % and a manganese content of greater than or equal to about 15 mol % based on 100 mol % of a total metal content of the layered lithium nickel-manganese-based composite oxide excluding lithium. 
     
     
         4 . The positive electrode active material as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the layered lithium nickel-manganese-based composite oxide further includes aluminum a content of which is about 1 mol % to about 3 mol % based on 100 mol % of a total metal content lithium of the layered lithium nickel-manganese-based composite oxide excluding lithium. 
     
     
         5 . The positive electrode active material as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein the aluminum is evenly distributed in the layered lithium nickel-manganese-based composite oxide. 
     
     
         6 . The positive electrode active material as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein a cobalt content in the layered lithium nickel-manganese-based composite oxide is about 0 mol % to about 0.01 mol % based on 100 mol % of a total metal content of the layered lithium nickel-manganese-based composite oxide excluding lithium. 
     
     
         7 . The positive electrode active material as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the layered lithium nickel-manganese-based composite oxide is represented by:
   Li a1 Ni x1 Mn y1 Al z1 M 1   w1 O 2-b1 X b1      wherein 0.9≤a1≤1.8, 0.6≤x1≤0.8, 0.1≤y1≤0.4, 0≤z1≤0.03, 0≤w1≤0.3, 0.9≤x1+y1+z1+w1≤1.1, and 0≤b1≤0.1, M 1  is one or more element selected from B, Ba, Ca, Ce, Cr, Fe, Mg, Mo, Nb, Si, Sn, Sr, Ti, V, W, Y and Zr, and X is one or more element selected from F, P, and S.   
     
     
         8 . The positive electrode active material as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the first positive electrode active material has an average particle diameter (D 50 ) of about 0.5 μm to about 8 μm. 
     
     
         9 . The positive electrode active material as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the first positive electrode active material includes core particles in a form of single particles and a coating layer on the surfaces of the core particles, the coating layer including Al, Y, or a combination of Al and Y. 
     
     
         10 . The positive electrode active material as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the lithium-manganese-rich composite oxide of the second positive electrode active material is represented:
   Li 1+x2 (Ni y2 Mn z2 M 2   1-y2-z2 ) 1-x2 O 2-b2 X b2      wherein 0.04≤x2≤0.5, 0.1≤y2≤0.5, 0.5≤z2≤0.9, 0.9≤y2+z2≤1.1, and 0≤b2≤0.1, M 2  is one or more element selected from Al, B, Ba, Ca, Ce, Cr, Fe, Mg, Mo, Nb, Si, Sn, Sr, Ti, V, W, Y, and Zr, and X is one or more element selected from F, P, and S.   
     
     
         11 . The positive electrode active material as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein a cobalt content is about 0 mol % to about 0.01 mol % based on 100 mol % of the total metal content of the lithium-manganese-rich composite oxide excluding lithium. 
     
     
         12 . The positive electrode active material as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the second positive electrode active material has an average particle diameter (D 50 ) of about 0.1 μm to about 5 μm. 
     
     
         13 . The positive electrode active material as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein an average particle diameter (D 50 ) of the second positive electrode active material is smaller than an average particle diameter (D 50 ) of the first positive electrode active material. 
     
     
         14 . A positive electrode, comprising
 a positive electrode current collector including the positive electrode active material as claimed in  claim 1 .   
     
     
         15 . The positive electrode as claimed in  claim 14 , wherein the positive electrode active material layer has a density of about 3.0 g/cc to about 3.7 g/cc. 
     
     
         16 . A rechargeable lithium battery, comprising
 the positive electrode as claimed in  claim 14 ,   a negative electrode, and   an electrolyte.   
     
     
         17 . The rechargeable lithium battery as claimed in  claim 16 , wherein an initial charging upper limit voltage is greater than or equal to about 4.60 V, and
 wherein a subsequent charging upper limit voltage is lower than the initial charging upper limit voltage and is greater than or equal to about 4.45 V.   
     
     
         18 . The rechargeable lithium battery as claimed in  claim 16 , wherein the negative electrode includes at least one of carbon-based negative electrode active material, a lithium metal, a lithium metal alloy, a silicon-based negative electrode active material.